Many printers, e.g., receipt printers, print data images on a paper tape. The paper tape advances from the printer as the data images, e.g., in form of a receipt, are printed. The paper tape stops advancing when printing is completed. One common type of printer includes a roll of paper tape that unrolls during printing. After the paper stops, an individual, e.g., a sales clerk, tears off a segment of the paper tape bearing the printed images, e.g., a receipt, by pulling the tape against a tear-off edge that forms a part of the printer.
As segments of the paper tape are repeatedly torn off, the tear-off edge begins to wear, and eventually the tear-off edge fails to tear the paper tape. Therefore, it is often desirable to relate the number of segments of the paper tape torn off to the wear of the tear-off edge. This typically involves an individual tearing each of a large number of segments off by hand. One problem with hand tearing the segments is that hand tearing is costly in that hand tearing involves many hours that can conceivably be spent doing other tasks perceived as being more productive.
Some of these printers use ink-jet cartridges to deposit data images on the paper tape. Ink-jet cartridges typically have a number of flow passages for producing a number of ink jets. As each segment of the paper tape is torn off, paper particles are given off. In many instances, a portion of these particles lodge in one or more of the flow passages, clogging the passage(s). Therefore, it is often desirable to obtain information about the paper particle sizes and shapes generated from tearing segments of paper tapes of various compositions. This again typically involves an individual tearing each of a large number of segments off by hand and includes the above-mentioned problems associated with hand tearing.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an automated tearing tool.